A true master of his instrument, Scott Bradley delivered a coruscating classical guitar recital on Saturday evening (10th October) under the banner of St. Helens Sinfonietta at the United Reformed Church. Ten flying fingers on six hardworking strings produced at times more notes to the second than you would have thought physically possible, and in the quieter moments the time-honoured instrument uttered the tender, throbbing. romantic sounds for which it is equally famous.

A list of items might serve no purpose, as most of the composers’ names are unknown to the mainstream music-lover. Great guitar music is mostly written by guitarists whose fingers know all the intricacies; others have to chart and analyse every musical phrase for playability, and even then are guessing. The only big-name composer of the evening, Villa-Lobos, was the one who could be seen to be playing safe with textures and techniques he could be sure would work.

The composers covered an impressive range of nationalities, though, and an equal variety of styles; there was no danger of enjoyment being dulled by sameness. Scott Bradley talked to us while tuning and re-tuning, amusingly and with all the facts we needed, and then played like a fiery angel, as untired in the spectacular final Hungarian Fantasy (by J. K. Mertz) as in the lively classical dances by Praetorius that opened the programme. In between we were on a roller-coaster ride (or perhaps not: on a roller-coaster the thrills progressively diminish!).

It was sad that the evening could not be shared, as originally planned, with Scott’s brother Craig, and equal virtuoso on an even more exotic instrument, the bayan button accordion, whose weight may be at the root of Craig’s present orthopaedic problems. We wish him all good fortune with forthcoming surgery, and hope that we shall yet enjoy that joint recital in the future. With luck it won’t be in competition with a Challenge Cup Final, and will attract the capacity audience it will deserve.

Ted Kirk